


Bella Always has an Answer

by angelwingsandstarryeyes



Series: The Not so Noble and Ancient House of Black [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Autistic Character, Autistic Regulus Black, Bad Parent Walburga Black, Bisexual Sirius Black, Drugs, Eating Disorders, F/F, F/M, Gay Remus Lupin, Gen, Good Slytherins, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, James is oblivious, M/M, Major Character Injury, Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Mental Health Issues, Regulus Black Deserves Better, Sane Bellatrix Black Lestrange, Sirius Black Needs a Hug, sirius black is bipolar
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-20
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-16 12:01:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29575791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angelwingsandstarryeyes/pseuds/angelwingsandstarryeyes
Summary: Sirius returns from the summer holidays with horrific injuries, a close friendship with his cousin Bellatrix and a tension filled relationship with the new Durmstrang transfer  - Blaise Zabini.Remus doesn’t quite know what to make of Sirius these days. He was a bit of a dick, but that was nothing new, and Remus knew he himself wasn’t much better recently - after all, nothing like a depressive episode to bring out the temper in a guy.
Relationships: Bellatrix Black Lestrange/Remus Lupin, Regulus Black & Sirius Black, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Series: The Not so Noble and Ancient House of Black [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2195175
Kudos: 11





	1. Chapter 1

Sirius was tired, he’d go so far to say exhausted. His back pulsed with a constant blinding pain- seemingly one that worsened with each step he took. The bag slung haphazardly across it was certainly not helping. Regulus walked beside him, his demeanour cold and aloof- excluding the concerned glances shot in his direction every time another large crowd shoved past them. Each time Sirius had to steady himself, as his body threatened to crumple to the ground. Behind them, Walburga Black loomed. Sirius often felt as though his mother could play a very convincing dementor, an observation he had paid dearly for sharing with her in one of his manic states. At least Regulus had laughed, well as much as Reg ever laughed at home - more of a grimace/snicker hybrid. 

Sirius gave his brother a reassuring smile, he knew how Reggie felt about the station - too many people, too much noise and touch and too bright. They’d been working on a spell to help him block extra noise. Although so far they’d only succeeded in deafening themselves until Narcissa had visited and taken pity on the two. 

“PLATFORM 9 and 3/4” a large man with a stomach that bulged out of a too tight belt was yelling. They came to stop, they were early. The train wouldn’t be there for a few minutes, which, when one is not only in excruciating pain, but is also forced to endure the looped muttering of ‘filthy mudbloods, disgusting blood traitors’ feels significantly longer. His friends knew not to approach when he was with his mother. Small mercies, he supposed.  
‘Sirius. Regulus.’ They both stiffened, turning to face her.  
‘The dark lord is requesting a pledge of allegiance- you will not be accepting this. We are the most Noble and Ancient House of Black, and as the only male heirs, you are far too important to play these kinds of silly little games.’ A laugh bubbled up in Sirius’ throat at the statement he knew his mother felt was caring. He shoved it back.  
‘Yes mother.’ He assented, noticing that Regulus only mouthed the words. Before he could think too deeply about it, the train arrived. 

—

He sat in his favourite compartment, waiting quietly for his friends to arrive as he deepened the scratched out drawings on the windowsill that they’d expanded over the last 5 years. The door slid open, he glanced up lazily. Waiting to be greeted by James.  
‘Sirius.’  
A tall boy with buzzed hair and strikingly dark eyes was staring down at him.  
‘Blaise, I thought you went to Durmstrang?’ The boy sat across from him.  
‘Not anymore. Not after-‘ they shared a glance. 

Durmstrang had recently been examined by a new ministry branch called the peace preservation agency, they’d run tests - documenting wizards with dark magic, and putting them on a list that they refused to explain. Many dark magic families had pulled their children from the school - fearing they would be listed as criminals or such. 

Sirius grimaced sympathetically.  
‘Have you been sorted?’ Blaise nodded, parting his cloak to reveal a Slytherin crest. ‘Reg and Cissy are in your house, it’s cool. You’ll like it, but remember to visit me hey.’ He nodded,  
‘I need to go and meet people, but show me around the school when we get there.’ He left, if Sirius was in a little less pain, he would’ve definitely been more confused at that interaction. 

The compartment door opened again- and this time it really was James.  
‘Sirius! Hey mate! Who was that guy?’ Sirius blinked, hoping the momentary darkness would negate the stabbing pain that was still coursing through his body.  
‘I don’t know, just a random new guy, wrong compartment.’ Sirius didn’t know why exactly he was lying, but luckily for him, he also didn’t particularly care.

James was staring at him,  
‘What.” He deadpanned, James shrugged.  
“You look different, sort of- older.” Sirius huffed a laugh,  
“Yeah mate, that usually happens when people age.” The other boy forced a smile onto his face, before laughing with him.  
“Yeah, I suppose it does. Anyway, did you hear about Lily?” Sirius quirked an eyebrow, “She’s dating that Lucius guy. Prat.”  
“James, with my deepest respects to your sad, barren love life, why would I have heard about that.” James popped his mouth open like a fish. They went on like that until Remus and Peter slipped in, chatting about a muggle film they’d just seen. 

“Hey Pete.” Sirius pointedly ignored Remus, and attempted a wave, but let his hand fall back into his lap when the urge to scream in agony increased tenfold. He felt sick.  
“Sirius.” Remus stared at him, “Can you help me find Bella?.” Fuck. He downed the last of his numbing potion, which was hidden oh so subtly in an ornate hip flask.  
“gimme a few seconds” the blinding haze of pain switched to a dull buzz, and he stood up. Remus eyed him suspiciously, but James and Peter were already absorbed in an animated conversation about the potential benefits of a Bertie Botts every flavour roast beef.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hi! So just to clear any potential confusion,  
> 1 - Bellatrix isn't evil here, but she along with most of the Black family was taught that muggles are inferior, however Sirius tries to educate them so they're semi-tolerant  
> 2 - Sirius is a Gryffindor, but there's very little divide among houses in this story (he's also close with a lot of Slytherins)  
> 3 - Ages! Most of the main characters including Sirius are 15, Regulus is 13, Blaise is 16, Bella is 17, Narcissa is 16, Andromeda is Bella's twin sister because they were born in the same year and it makes sense!  
> 4 - Sirius and Blaise had a thing over the holidays   
> 5 - Also magic taught at Hogwarts and spells are all the same as canon, but because I wanted to explore how magic works a little further I added a few things to how wandless/natural magic works in this story! There are different types of magic (mainly light, earth and dark), everyone has the ability to use any type of magic but they're predisposed to one. The Black family all are born with predominantly dark magic, and are taught how to harness it at a young age.  
> 

Sirius followed Remus out of the compartment.  
‘So, what’s the deal with you and Bella?’ Remus shrugged,  
‘I guess we’re seeing each other, I don’t know. Not like, exclusively.’ 

An uncomfortable silence settled over them until he continued,  
“Also, she sells good euphoris.” Sirius coughed pointedly,  
“Thought you didn’t get high Moony.” The nickname tasted bitter on his tongue. The tension increased tenfold as Remus shot back, “I didn’t then, don’t act like you’re the same as you were either.”

They fell back into that silence. Walking as far apart as the narrow hallway allowed them to, before ustopping at a compartment near the back of the train. He knocked. A girl with dark pink hair and excessive eye makeup grinned, her face resembling somehow both a porcelain doll and a shark. Katya Avery. She was probably the only child of the sacred twenty-eight at Hogwarts who was permitted to practice natural magic. And that was only because she had such a strong affinity for it. Sirius snorted as he imagined Walburga Black allowing her son to do what she liked to call ‘filthy centaur magic’. 

Sirius liked Katya, but last time they’d seen one another, she left him shackled to the headboard of her bed, wearing nothing but a button-down shirt and boxers. All because she forgot about her necromancy lesson, which she deemed more important than the aphrodisiac potion they had both taken minutes before. He felt bad for her tutor, but far worse for himself.

“Hey Siri, I’ve missed you.” She smelt overwhelmingly like an incense store; Sirius looked at her through his long, dark lashes.  
“Can’t say I feel quite the same, but I’m sure we can finish up our last conversation in a more private place after dear Remus speaks to Bella.” As he spoke, his eyes caught sight of Blaise, who was staring at him from his seat across from Bella. Sirius cringed and looked away. The other boy was no master of subtlety himself, but even so; the obvious innuendo was not exactly something he needed to hear.

\---

REMUS POV:

The shorter boy shifted his weight to the other foot uncomfortably. Sirius never used to speak like this about him, but he knew it was warranted. After the summer break events- he stopped that train of thought before he could spiral into his memories again.  
Anyway, Sirius’ barely masked passive aggression just drew more attention to how much Remus did not fit into this group.  
Remus wondered if that’s how Sirius felt with their Gryffindor friends. So fundamentally different, ill-fitting; like a cat in an owlery. Remus cursed the embarrassment heating his cheeks – embarrassment at how juvenile and boring he must appear in comparison to the people who surrounded him at the moment.

Bella glanced up from the nails she was painting, her dark curls bouncing with the movement. Said nails were not her own, rather the hand belonged to a pretty boy who sat across from her. His eyes bore into Sirius, who was looking everywhere but into the piercing stare.

Bella rasped out her smokers laugh at Remus, and he was immediately reminded again of how different they were. His neat hair and worn sweater contrasted hilariously with the semi-editorial fashion sense that they all seemed to display. Then he felt a little bit bad, because as he thought this, he realised that subconsciously he had been wishing to be less like James and Peter and the rest of his Gryffindor friends, and more like the Slytherin students sitting around him. Well, the Slytherin students and Sirius, but the latter was nothing new.

\---

SIRIUS POV:

“So, Remus darling, to what do I owe this pleasure?” Bella’s voice somehow embodied the highest essence of condescension and Remus clenched his fist, Sirius had to hold the laughter back. Bella had a habit of treating you like a god given messiah when alone, but then once she had an audience- she acted like you were nothing more than a small child running around her legs.  
“Can we talk outside?” Remus muttered. She, stood slowly, and they exited the compartment, Sirius watched her pull a small vial of Euphoris from her pocket, before they went entirely out of sight.  
He figured he had maybe an hour before the pain set in again.  
“Hey Kat, I need help with something.” She cocked her head, amusement gracing her lips.  
“So forward Siri!” Her tinkling laugh sounding as Blaise stared felt like pins poking into his eardrums.  
“Not that. Come to the prefect car.” She suppressed a confused frown and let him lead her away.

\---

JAMES POV:

James scowled. He hated this. He hated the way Remus and Sirius had just melted away from their group slowly. It wasn’t that he disliked Peter, but he felt like they just talked about the same stuff they had in first year. Sirius had never been like that, and Remus had always at least been able to have the important conversations when they needed to. Peter though…

He sighed and forced himself to focus back on the other boy’s words.  
“I don’t know! I think that the knights should’ve invaded ages ago!” He was still going on about some book he’d read over the summer. James ‘mhmed’ and kicked the base of the other chair absentmindedly. Boredom seeping into his mind like water through a crack in a boat. He wasn’t sure why he was so uninterested. He usually liked to hear about muggle books. But his mind drifted to Sirius and Remus, and he wished he could be with them – doing merlin knows what (but probably something more entertaining). He felt like a child who had been left behind their parents on a walk. Struggling to keep up with their fast pace, and slowly falling behind – forgotten. He shook himself out of that. How needlessly dramatic he was. 

He looked to the hallway, catching sight of Sirius and Katya Avery hurrying towards the prefect cart. He huffed an irritated breath out his nose. Of course, Sirius had bent even the prefect selection system. Remus of course was the Gryffindor prefect, and traditionally there was only the one. But no. Of course not. Not if that meant Sirius Black missed out. That’s how the student liaison position was born. Dumbledore was supposedly so moved by his speech on the lack of house interconnection that he had needed to anoint Sirius into the new title.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi pls comment if you have time! I'd love to see people's thoughts :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So this is the last chapter of the train ride, next chapter is Hogwarts!
> 
> WARNING FOR DESCRIPTIONS OF A SERIOUS INJURY! I’ll put a warning around the bit where it’s discussed so you can skip it if you aren’t comfortable reading that!

SIRIUS POV:

Katya’s concern was palpable, rolling off her like waves lapping at a surf. He didn’t have it in him to comfort her, not when the previously dulled pain was returning, and he was beginning to smell the distinct smell of rancid blood. The odour that much more nauseating when mingled with his floral aftershave.

They entered a private compartment, and he undressed, save for his pants. Trying and failing to ignore the congealed blood that coated the back of his white undershirt. Katya swallowed audibly,

“What the fuck Siri.” He glanced up at her.

“I need you to heal this.” She scoffed, but it was far too choked to sound incredulous, it more resembled a sob.

“This isn’t a black eye, your back looks like butchers meat. It’s a little out of my area of expertise.” He felt eyes turn pleading and he knew he looked pathetic, but he didn’t have the energy to care. She sighed, “I’ll try.”

Katya cast a muffling charm over the door,

“Do you have anything I can take? I don’t think that charm is going to hold if I start screaming.” She huffed, before pointing her wand into her enchanted pocket and summoning a blue powder in a small bag.

“Snort it.” He opened his mouth as if to question her, but then he closed it, and began forming a few lines on the table and rolling a his ticket into a tube.

**REGULUS POV:**

Regulus watched Snape aim a jelly legs hex at an unsuspecting first year.

“Classy.” He stated drily. The boy spun around, in a manner so exaggerated it was comical. Regulus found himself thinking, not for the first time that from enough of a distance, Snape looked a bit like Sirius.

They both sported long-ish black hair, but where his brothers hair fell into the same effortless curls as that of Bella and Regulus, Snape’s lay plastered to his face and neck, greasy enough that Regulus was pretty sure you could wring it out and fry an egg with the oil it would surely produce. They both dressed in almost exclusively black and looked to be around the same height. A little shorter than average.

The similarities ended there though. Sirius had an air of confidence and charisma that made him immediately likeable. Snape however, walked with a hunch, glaring at the floor in contempt – as though it personally offended him by existing. This only accented his shorter stature – and whenever anyone commented on this he had no qualms about hexing them.

Regulus thought that was dumb. Making your insecurities known was about the stupidest thing someone could do.

Snape didn’t share that sentiment clearly. His lip pulled up in a sneer,

“Almost as classy as your drug addict cousin selling Euphoris to Gryffindors in the hallway.” Regulus concealed a wince, cursing Bella for being stupid enough to get caught by Severus Snape of all people, but before he could be too irritated at his older cousin for being so careless, his brain conjured an image of her fiancé, Rodolphus Lestrange. In particular, his leering grin when he’d boasted to the pureblood exclusive wizard’s club his father had used to often drag Regulus and Sirius off to, that he couldn’t wait to have her. Like she was a collector’s item. Regulus had been eleven, and Sirius had been prohibited from accompanying their father anywhere important once he’d been sorted into Gryffindor. And as much as Regulus wanted to punch the man, he figured that he was no match for a sadistic, twenty-something year old pureblood. The thought of their wedding, now only months away, made him feel a little bit sick.

Yeah, he decided. Bella could have a free pass today to be as messy as she wanted. She’d had the partnership arranged when she was twelve, and he remembered her sobs echoing through the bathroom door, they’d blended hideously with the cruel glee of the much older Rodolphus.

He realised he’d been quiet for a beat too long when Snape laughed at him. He blinked slowly, wishing he was one of those people who always said the right thing. But he wasn’t. So, he chose the next best option, a low blow.

“Bold coming from a half-blood.”

He dodged the hex he knew he probably deserved.

The first year who had been Snape’s original target chose now to burst into tears. Regulus hated crying. Nobody should ever cry; he’d decided that a long time ago. Crying made you look weak and childish, and despite the fact the eleven year old witch was a child and clearly weak enough to fall prey to such a basic hex, Regulus thought it was still pretty dumb. At his advanced age of thirteen, he could hardly remember the last time he cried.

He spun on his heel, hoping that he could simply leave the situation behind him. Abd found himself narrowly avoiding two of the hexes Snape threw at him- but the jet of purple the greasy boy aimed at him singed his robes. He turned around and narrowed his eyes, smelling the revolting scent of his own burnt flesh. He cast a shield over himself, and he let the hold on his dark magic loosen just enough that the windows on the hallway frosted over. Snape paled. Regulus found himself again wishing for the ability to come up with something witty to say. But he settled instead for staring him down and repeating a threat he’d heard Sirius growl at a boy called Adrian Flint on this same train after he had shoved Regulus out of his way on his first day. 

“Fuck off. Go wherever you want but if I see you again on this train I will not hesitate to do that-“he gestured to the frost coated windows, “to your internal organs.”

Snape looked like he was about to retort, but seemed to reconsider – he walked away, muttering to himself about entitled idiots.

The first year on the floor looked terrified. He sighed,

“What’s wrong with you?” He asked bluntly. She looked up at him incredulously.

“You’re scary.” She responded with equal bluntness. He actually laughed a little at that.

“I’m really not, and I just defended you. Why would you be scared of me.” She shrugged, and he remembered why she was on the floor. Quickly casting the counter hex. She stood shakily.

“I guess you’re right, but I still think you’re a bit scary. I’m Estella Chang.” Regulus held out his hand.

“Regulus Black. I think I know your cousin.” A nasty boy called Mulciber, had a cousin called Estella, and was probably about this kid’s age now. She grinned,

“In that case, I’m so sorry.” He decided this was the best response she could’ve given, and despite her earlier tears, she seemed alright, he led her into a nearby compartment with a few Slytherins in his year.

REMUS POV:

Bella had that crazed look on her face that reminded Remus uncomfortably of Sirius. She was walking towards the prefect carriage, where they knew Sirius and Katya had snuck off to, in long strides. He supposed that she’d have to be a bit crazed to walk into said carriage without an ounce of prefect status to her name. He hadn’t actually been into the carriage yet though, so he trailed behind her. Feeling a bit like a lost puppy.

They walked into the carriage, surprised to find it empty save for one closed compartment. He’d have been content to relax in the luxurious common area, where there was a buffet table and a pile of newspapers, but Bella cast a wandless unlocking charm on the closed compartment, and in immediate succession threw the door open.

Remus upon his entrance to the compartment, paled, and beside him Bella’s eyes widened almost imperceptibly. Sirius lay on the table, his face turned to them, with pupils so large that the blue in his eyes was entirely concealed. More alarmingly though, his back was-

Remus looked away for a moment to collect himself.

*INJURY DESCRIBED HERE*

His back was ripped apart, torn flesh and destroyed skin was slowly knitting itself back together under Katya’s hands. Katya looked on the verge of collapse, said hands trembling and coated in so much blood he wondered how Sirius had any left in his body. Remus was in no way squeamish, when you tear yourself apart every full moon you can’t really afford to be squeamish. But when he caught sight of an area of Sirius’ back that was so destroyed that bone was exposed, Remus felt bile rise in his throat.

*DESCRIPTION OVER*

“Fuck.” Bella said to what seemed like nobody in particular, before nudging Katya to the side. The pink haired girl swayed dangerously, as though she'd topple over.

Bella then lay her hand on her cousin’s ruined back, inky blackness seeping through her fingers, spilling into the deep wounds and snaking under torn skin. She murmured a phrase over and over, and Remus listened, entirely motionless with shock, to her repeated words.

_“Dark magic come and claim your price, my wish grants you a sacrifice. Let threads of fate return to order, as blood harms blood, I offer water.”_

Despite the fact that Remus could not find an ounce of meaning in this, it seemed to work. He watched his friend’s (if they still were friends that was, but at this moment their row felt insignificant) pupils shrink and his body begin to shake violently. Bella clasped a hand over his mouth, and just in time as he screamed so loudly that the weak muffling charm placed on the room shuddered in protest.

The blackness dissipated slowly, in its wake leaving intact skin – well, intact save for a scar that deterred the relief that Remus had felt.

An area on Sirius’ upper back about the size of his hand looked to have been branded. It was neat, and as he examined it, he realised that the purple ridged scars formed a macabre rendition of the Black family crest. Tears pricked at his eyes, signifying some emotion he couldn’t quite identify.

Sirius suddenly stood up straight, as though nothing had happened. He turned to see Bella, noticing at the same time as Remus that the veins in her still outstretched hand were raised and black. As though this was expected, Sirius shifted his gaze over to Katya where she stood in the corner of the compartment- she looked ill.

With everything that had happened in the last few minutes transpiring so abruptly, Remus struggled to follow what was going on. But Sirius spoke in a hoarse voice.

“Bella, I don’t remember you being a prefect. And this is the prefect carriage, so I think it’s best that you leave now.” Remus frowned, and waited for her to object, protest that she was the reason he was even able to stand at the moment. Instead, she nodded once and left.

Sirius turned to a deeply confused Remus, before pulling his bloodstained undershirt back on. Apparently seeing no reason to explain the situation, he spoke again.

“Do you have a pepper up potion on you?” It wasn’t a question, Remus always did. He fished it from his pocket. Sirius promptly placed it in Katya’s shaky grip. Commanding that she drink it. She did, and the colour quickly returned to her cheeks. Sirius continued to redress, before quickly raising his wand and-

**\------**

And Remus was standing in an unfamiliar place with Sirius and that Slytherin girl he had met a few times. Katya Avery. Her hands were startlingly soaked in something red, and the whole room smelt metallic. Blood, he realised, his brain was very foggy, and he struggled to comprehend what that could mean.

Before he could consider it any further, Sirius waved his wand, and it was as though nothing had been amiss. Katya’s hands were clean, and the room smelt like sandalwood. The memory of the blood slipped through his grasp as he tried to figure out what had happened, and even though his mind had begun to quickly clear of the daze he’d been in seconds ago – he couldn’t for the life of him remember what he’d been concerned about.

Sirius flung open the compartment door and gestured to a buffet table in the open area.

“Oh, the joys of prefecthood!” He announced cheerily. Katya seemed to shake herself, before allowing a grin to form. Heading straight towards the bowl of chocolate frogs. Sirius snatched himself a butterbeer. Remus, who still felt like he was probably losing his mind, collected a plate from a smaller table beside the buffet and began to load it with various desserts.

**SIRIUS POV:**

Sirius saw the signs of dark magic retreating back into his cousin through her splayed hand. Felt the blissful absence of mind addling pain, and then the horror at what this meant settle in the pit of his stomach.

Everything was a blur after that. He knew what the other two had witnessed. So, with what he hoped was the appropriate level of self-loathing and guilt, he pointed his wand towards two of his closest friends.

_“Obliviate.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! If you have any time I'd love to know in the comments what you think about the characters so far! (Especially Regulus and Bella) 
> 
> Also, if there's anything you wanna see more of, let me know! Plus, any constructive criticism is welcome! 
> 
> I should have the 4th chapter up by the end of this week :)


End file.
